In Love and Popcorn
by harukafics
Summary: Inui comes up with a new and fun practice tactic involving ... popcorn?


This was the result of a word prompt. The prompt word is stated at the end of the fic.

In Love and Popcorn (Prince of Tennis)

By Haruka (email: haruka at ymail dot com)

* * *

The Seigaku Regulars were warming up by hitting a few tennis balls back and forth. They already knew that there would be a special training session once Inui arrived with whatever fearful and/or exciting props he was planning on using this time.

"Here he comes, nya!" Eiji announced, and everyone stopped playing to wait for him. Inui put a box down on the bench and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I'm sorry I'm late - the microwave in the cafeteria was already in use."

His teammates exchanged puzzled looks as Inui began digging into his box. He brought out a ping-pong paddle and held it up. "Today we're going to work on speed and co-ordination."

"Playing ping-pong?" Kaidoh queried. "Didn't we do that already?"

"Where are the other paddles?" Kawamura asked, peering into the box.

"This is the only one, and I will be using it. As for the 'ball' …." Inui flipped back one of the box's flaps and pulled out a stuffed bag of microwave popcorn. "This is what will serve in place of that."

Even Tezuka looked dubious now. "Inui, I think you may have inhaled too many of your Juice fumes."

"You want us to hit POPCORN back to you?" Momoshiro exclaimed. "Without paddles, yet?"

"Certainly not," Inui replied. "I don't expect you to hit it back, I expect you to catch it." He pulled on a pair of thin plastic gloves and opened the bag. "Hands behind your backs, please."

The team members obeyed, although they were all still confused. "Senpai," Ryoma said finally, "how are we supposed to catch it without our hands?"

Inui looked at him, then tossed a piece of popcorn into the air overhead. He opened his mouth under it and caught it neatly as it descended. "Like that," he said. "I'm going to lightly hit the pieces of popcorn toward each of you in turn to start with – you'll get the feel for catching it in your mouths. Then I'll choose pairs to compete over who can catch a single piece before their opponent and avoid the consequences for failure."

"I hate to ask, but what DOES happen to the people who miss?" Kawamura inquired warily.

Inui pulled one more item out of the box. It looked like motor oil in a water bottle. "My latest version of Inui Juice. I call it, Loserade."

"Looks delicious," Fuji commented, smiling. Everyone else edged away from him.

"This paddle has been thoroughly washed and sterilized, and I'm wearing gloves, so there are no worries that the popcorn is unsafe to consume," Inui continued, reassuring them.

"It's not the popcorn we're worried about," Ryoma grumbled and Eiji nodded.

Then a light breeze carried it to all of them at once – the smell of hot popcorn. It had been a long time since lunch and all of the boys suddenly realized how hungry they were.

"This might not be so bad after all!" Momoshiro grinned.

As promised, Inui allowed them each one easy try to get used to chasing and positioning themselves under the falling popcorn. Impressively, not a single team member missed their catch.

"Mmm …," Ryoma savoured his prize. "It's still warm."

"I'm ready for more!" Momoshiro enthused.

"You'll have to fight each other for them," Inui said. "First pair – Oishi and Kikumaru!"

The doubles partners looked at each other. "I'm not drinking that glop, Eiji," Oishi said.

The redhaired acrobat shook his head vehemently. "Me neither, nya! It's every man for himself!"

Inui launched the popcorn piece and the two boys struggled against each other to get under it first. Oishi seemed to be in better position, but at the last moment, Eiji leaped up to snatch it before it could reach his partner's waiting mouth.

"Sorry, Oishi." He winked.

No one was sorrier than Oishi himself, however, once he was laid out from downing a bottle of Inui's Loserade.

"Kaidoh, Fuji!" Inui smacked a piece of popcorn toward them. Kaidoh charged Fuji and looked about to plow him over when the pretty fourteen-year-old smiled and said, "You wouldn't do bodily harm to your senpai, would you?"

Kaidoh, ever the obedient kohai, skidded to a halt in time for Fuji to neatly catch the popcorn.

"Fssshuuu!" the younger boy hissed. "That was a dirty trick, senpai."

A bottle of Loserade appeared in front of his face. He accepted it with a shaking hand. Shortly thereafter, the rest of him was shaking as well.

"Tezuka, Kawamura!" Inui hit the popcorn in their direction. Since Kawamura wasn't holding a racquet, he wasn't in the 'BURNING' mode that might have helped him, but he bravely went for it, anyway. Unfortunately, Tezuka was already fighting back. He almost appeared to be glowing, and the piece of popcorn seemed to magically veer away from Kawamura to head straight for Tezuka's waiting mouth.

*munch*

"Awww!" Kawamura groaned. "I don't think it's fair to use the Tezuka Zone in such a competition, buchou!"

"All's fair in love and popcorn," Inui said, handing him a bottle.

Kawamura gazed mournfully at it and sighed. "Now I lay me down to sleep …."

He was right about the 'lay down' part, at least. Sleeping would have to wait until his stomach stopped trying to explode.

Ryoma and Momoshiro were grinning evilly at each other, knowing they were the only two left.

"You're going to drink Loserade, Momo-senpai," Ryoma teased.

Momo laughed. "Not in THIS lifetime, Echizen!"

"Here it comes!" Inui launched the popcorn and the two boys went for it with everything they had. It looked like Momoshiro would get it first, simply because he was taller. However, Ryoma sprang up to try and snatch it away as Eiji had done to Oishi, but Momoshiro didn't back down and turned his head toward him to fight for it. Their mouths both locked over the popcorn simultaneously, and consequently, their lips were pressed together as well.

There was a moment of silence, then Fuji remarked, "What was it you said about love and popcorn, Inui?"

Ryoma and Momo pulled apart to uproarious laughter from their friends, their own faces bright red.

"Who got the popcorn?" Inui asked casually.

"_I_ did!" they both stated, resulting in more roaring.

"I think we can call that one a draw," Tezuka said calmly. Inui nodded.

"That's fine. Since it looks like the others have recovered sufficiently, we can get on with regular practice now."

"I'm gonna go wash my face first," Ryoma said brusquely and sprinted toward the fountains.

Momoshiro ran after him. "Me too!"

More laughter followed them into the distance.

Both boys splashed their faces with cold water and dried off in silence. Finally, Momoshiro glanced around to make sure no one was nearby.

"I'll tell you, Echizen," he said softly, not looking at him. "I never expected our first kiss to happen like that!"

There was a pause, then, "Me neither."

Momo gazed down at the Freshman. "Want to try for something a little better?" he ventured.

Ryoma raised serious gold eyes to meet his purple ones. "Yes."

With one more look around to be safe, Momoshiro bent down as Ryoma went up on his toes. Their lips met much more tenderly than they had over the popcorn piece, and lingered longer as well.

When they separated this time, they were grinning instead of blushing.

"You still taste like popcorn, Momo-senpai," Ryoma told him.

Momo's grin widened. "You, too. Come on, let's go back to practice before they come looking for us."

As they headed toward the courts, both of them mused over how they not only had experienced two kisses together, neither of them had been forced to drink Loserade.

It didn't get any better than that.

* * *

(Word prompt – Popcorn)

(2005)

Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

This fic is not to be re-posted.


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